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Jim Sundberg

Jim Sundberg

Former All-Star Catcher

Senior Executive VP for Texas Rangers

Author of "How to Win at Sports Parenting"

Rangers Hall of Famer Jim Sundberg was appointed Senior Executive Vice President in October 2008. He interacts with team President Nolan Ryan and General Manager John Daniels on baseball matters. Sundberg is in his first year as the President of the Texas Rangers Foundation. Sundberg also serves as the club's liaison for its spring training facility in Surprise, Arizona, and runs the very successful Texas Rangers Legacy Partnership, now in its sixth season.

Jim has previously served as Executive Vice President, Communications & Public Relations, Executive Director to the President, and Director of Business Development since joining the Rangers front office in January 2004.

A member of the inaugural class of the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame, Sundberg returned to baseball in 2002, coordinating several community programs for the Frisco RoughRiders. He also served as Texas' Minor League catching coordinator from 2002-2004.

Jim retired at the end of the 1989 season following a 16-year major league career with the Rangers, Milwaukee, Kansas City and the Chicago Cubs.

One of the top defensive catchers in Major League history, Sundberg won six Gold Glove awards and was a three-time American League All-Star. He still ranks 6th on the all-time list for games caught (1927), trailing only Ivan Rodriguez (2288), Carlton Fisk (2226), Bob Boone (2225), Gary Carter (2056), and Tony Pena (1950). Sundberg spent 11 1/2 seasons with Texas and still ranks among the club's all-time leaders in games (2nd, 1,512), walks (3rd, 544), triples (4th, 27), at-bats (5th, 4,684), hits (6th, 1,180) and doubles (7th, 200). He also maintains the record for the most games caught in one season in the A.L. (155 games in 1975).

Jim was a member of the 1985 World Champion Kansas City Royals, scoring the winning run with a head-first slide in the Royals' memorable Game 6 win over St. Louis. He was voted "World Series Hero" by the Chicago sportswriters for that play. Jim spent just one season in the Minor Leagues during his entire playing career, with Pittsfield in 1973.

Jim was an All-American at the University of Iowa in 1972, leading the Hawkeyes to the Big 10 championship and their lone College World Series appearance.

After making tremendous efforts in the community during his playing days, the Rangers placed Jim's name on the club's community service award beginning in 1989. He is on the board of the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation.

Between his playing days and re-joining the Rangers, Jim started companies manufacturing sports training products and conducting motivational speeches. He co-wrote the book How to Win at Sports Parenting with his wife. Jim was also an analyst on Rangers' television games from 1990-95.

Jim married the former Janet Naugle on July 3, 1970. The couple has three children, Aaron James (2/12/72), Audra Janette (7/17/76), and Briana Nicole (4/8/83), and eight grandchildren.